Meanings
plural duilians
- Chineserhetorichuman sciencesa pair of content-related lines with same number of characters, same part of speech in each corresponding word, inverse tone patterns in each corresponding character, oblique tone as the last character of first line; (by extension) a physical object (often a scroll, plaque, or paper strip) inscribed with such text
Synonyms: antithetical couplet, Chinese couplet, couplet, coupled scrolls, duilian couplet
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna pair of content-related lines with same number of characters, same part of speech in each corresponding word, inverse tone patterns in each corresponding character, oblique tone as the last character of first line; (by extension) a physical object (often a scroll, plaque, or paper strip) inscribed with such text
Origin
- Mandarin對聯 /对联
- Englishduilian
From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 對聯 /对联 (duìlián).
More words from Mandarin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Cantonese 對聯 /对联, 對 /对
- 對聯 /对联Translations
- 對 /对 (deoi³)Translations
Chinese Mandarin 對聯 /对联, 對子 /对子
- 對聯 /对联 (duìlián)Translations
- 對子 /对子 (duìzi)Translations
Polish duilian
- duilianTranslations
Cite this entry
duilian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duilian
“duilian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duilian. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “duilian,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/duilian.
Source: duilian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.